She Inspired Many

As I was perusing news websites, I came across something interesting when I clicked on the Austin Weekly News site. The top 4 stories on the homepage were dedicated to a woman named Delores McCain who passed away last weekend at 68-years-old.

I was curious who this woman was and why the paper dedicated so much space to her, so I started clicking on the articles.

Come to find out, McCain was an activist who joined the Civil Rights Movement in her 20's. Over the years, she joined several community organizations and continued pushing for what she believed in. Then in her 60's, she decided to take on something new and started reporting for the Austin Weekly News. Her goal was to help improve coverage of the black community.

Browsing the site, I quickly learned how much McCain inspired people. Several of her co-workers at the newspaper wrote articles and messages about the impact she had on them. I thought I'd share some of their words below:

Dan Haley:

"In our 30 years in business there have been a handful of people around here who have changed us and shaped us. Delores is one of them. She brought out our best, lifted us when we were down, had our back when we were battling. And she always told us when we were wrong. You don't get that combination much in life."

Malcolm Crawford:

"I have been told that there are two kinds of people in this world. There are kings-a king is the person who is always out front; the most noticeable person in the kingdom; the one who lives for the attention. And then there are king makers- that is what "Mama Dee" was. Her focus was to use her position to put the spotlight on young people who she believed were kings in the making."

Evan O'Brien:

"Rainy days-that's how I'll remember Delores. It may seem like a gloomy memorial, but not for me. Whenever it rained, I knew just what to expect as I dashed into work. There was Delores, ready to pounce with those same words she always greeted me with on a rainy day: 'You better get out of that rain! Don't you know sugar melts?' I must have heard that line a hundred times from Delores, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but I always loved hearing it. Delores knew just how to lift you up on those rainy days."

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I wanted to share this story because it reminded me of a quote I once read by Sasha Azevedo:

"When you love people and have the desire to make a profound, positive impact upon the world, then will you have accomplished the meaning to live."

After reading the articles in the Austin Weekly News, it's clear that Delores McCain did just that.